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CLINKS state of the sector report 2015

Loaded:Thu, 28/05/2015 - 17:41

The CLINKS state of the sector report 2015 has been published. As the voluntary sector is increasingly required to navigate a complex and shifting policy and commissioning environment, this survey helps to inform the support CLINKS give to their members and the messages they communicate to policy makers. Key findings include:

The needs of service users are increasing and becoming more complex.

Volunteering is vital for the sector, and volunteer recruitment is increasing.

Many organisations are relying on their reserves putting them at risk of closure.

The majority of organisations only sometimes or never receive full cost recovery on the contracts they deliver.

CLINKS feels privileged to work alongside, listen to, and advocate for a diverse range of voluntary sector organisations that support some of society’s most marginalised people in the Criminal Justice System. The publication of the 2015 state of the sector report allows them to give a platform to the stories they have heard, and better understand some of the impact that recent reforms are having on essential rehabilitative services.

In recent times the voluntary sector has been tasked with navigating a complex and shifting political and economic climate, which has made the state of the sector survey all the more important. Perhaps most importantly, the survey has offered a glimpse into the reality for people trying to overcome issues such as problematic drug use, homelessness, mental ill-health, unemployment, family-breakdown, debt, and in many instances significant trauma that have led them to the Criminal Justice System.

CLINKS have found that service user need is becoming more complex, that volunteering is increasingly vital for the sector, that many organisations rely on their reserves putting them at risk of closure, and that the majority of CLINKS members rarely receive full cost recovery on the contracts they deliver. This acts as a reminder to us all that we need to be pro-active in protecting our vibrant voluntary sector.